


Feeling Good

by Rina (rinadoll)



Category: Silk Stalkings
Genre: Case Fic, F/M, Massage, Misses Clause Challenge, POV Female Character, Spa Treatments, Undercover
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-19
Updated: 2015-12-19
Packaged: 2018-05-07 17:32:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5464991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rinadoll/pseuds/Rina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chris and Rita go undercover in a medical spa for women. This being Palm Beach, you know there's an extra level of service.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Feeling Good

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Amilyn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amilyn/gifts).



> Set between Partners Part 2 and Glory Days -- there have to be at least 4-6 weeks we didn't see, right? Plenty of time for other cases and happy relationship moments. Hope this is to your liking, Amilyn!!

“I’ve got something.” Chris raised his arms in victory before slapping his palms down on the stack of papers in front of him. “Ha! Yes! I’ve got it, Sammy!”

“Well, are you going to share with the class or just crow?” Rita asked, raising her eyebrows as she looked over from her desk. After an hour of reviewing case files, she was ready to hear any potential leads.

“Don’t I get a well done or anything?” he asked, mock wounded.

“If it’s worth it,” Rita said with a shrug. “Wow me, partner.”

“Oh, I’ll--”

“Spit it out, Lorenzo,” Lipschitz barked from behind Chris, who straightened up immediately as Rita smirked. 

“It’s the spa, Cap,” he said. “It wasn’t just this last guy, the massage therapist. Rita had said something seemed familiar about the name, and it finally clicked for me. Remember those unsolved murders from March and April?”

“Sure,” Rita said, nodding as the details came back to her. “Lisi Marlow, yeah? And Steffi Evans.”

“I went back and looked at the files,” Chris said. “You were on to something, but I just couldn’t place it.” He tapped his files. “Turns out, Steffi’s sister used to work there. And Lisi’s best friend was there when she got the call about Lisi’s death. And now there’s Jason Hobbs. Maybe it wasn’t the accident they keep insisting on.”

“But the ladies themselves didn’t go there?” Lipschitz asked.

“I don’t know yet, Cap,” Chris said. “But it’s a start.”

“There’s too many coincidences, Cap,” Rita agreed. “Something might be going on there.”

“All right, go figure it out,” Lipschitz waved them off. “See who else might be connected.”

\------  
There’s something for everyone in Palm Beach, and of course this spa was no exception. It had a very select clientele. Not unusual for the ritzy side of Palm Beach, but this place billed itself as a specialized medical spa for women. For clients in the know, several services included another special service. It was a golf clubhouse for the ladies. Some women were there with encouragement from their partners, more were there for the fun of it all.

“Damn.” Rita read through the special services brochure a second time. “I still can’t believe it’s a damn sex spa.”

“Sexual health is important, Sammy,” Chris said earnestly, eyes twinkling as he propped himself on his elbow next to her. “You should take yours very seriously. I do.” He trailed his hand over her thigh.

“Yeah? You like the thought of me and Ricardo the pedicurist getting it on?” she asked, raising her eyebrow at him. “Or me and Jake, the All-American Hydro-Therapist?” She laughed as his face dropped. “Yeah, didn’t think so.”

“You’re not really gonna, are you?” he asked, doubtfully. “How is vice not up on this place for prostitution, anyway?”

“I’m leaving my options open,” Rita said, grinning as he groaned. 

“You’re killing me, Sam. Killing me.”

“Anyway, apparently there’s zero tipping, so money never exchanges hands between consenting parties,” Rita said, ignoring him. “It’s not a requirement of service, just always on offer. It skates the lines, but tends to hire well enough that staff and patrons alike are satisfied. Which, of course, means…”

“I’m going to have to very badly time everyone’s happy ending,” he said. “‘Cause, see, that’s how I roll. None of these open options. Hint hint.”

“All right, all right,” Rita said, taking pity and dropping the act. “I see your hint and match it.” He punched the air. “Unless the new massage therapist turns out to be unexpectedly good looking, of course.”

“Well, of course,” he said, smiling wide. “That’s a given.”

He reached over to turn off the bedside light as she set her papers aside and let him snuggle in with a kiss.

\----  
Rita reviewed her list of spa appointments. Clients had the option to stay on site for long term stays, visit daily for a set time or do single days. She was booked on site for five days, with appointments that matched Lisi Marlow’s friend Luisa and from staff members who had worked with Tiffany Evans. Onsite stays got her perks like in-room service, which she had tried to avoid as much as possible since it seemed likely that those often led to the extra service. 

“Everything looks right,” she said, sliding the paper across the counter. 

“Then we’ll get you settled into your room,” the clerk said, efficiently tapping at the keyboard and printing a stack of papers. He slid them into a deep red folder and handed it over with her key. “You’ll be on the second floor this week. Your first appointment is in two hours. I hope you have a very enjoyable stay, Miss Barnes.”

“I intend to,” Rita said, giving him a flirtatious smile. “I’ve heard very good things about your spa.”

“We aim to make everyone’s stay pleasurable,” he said, gesturing for a bellhop to join them. “Ben will bring you up. Please give us a call down here if there’s anything you require.”

Rita spent her two hours chatting up Ben (who had only the company line to repeat about Jason Hobbs’ death) and meeting several of the other women staying on her floor. Everyone was a fan of Jake the Hydro-Therapist, both for his traditional massage skills and special skills. He seemed to know everyone, and she hoped that he would be more forthcoming with information than Ben.

He was her second appointment of the day, though: first up was a facial with Peter. She changed into her strapless top and pajama shorts, slipped on her robe and found the room. Peter immediately settled her into his chair, tucked her hair back under a towel and shone a bright light in her face. She was reminded of old-time police interrogation intimidation tactics and tried not to grin. That became easier when he launched into a detailed discussion of everything wrong with her skin and demonstrated the state of the art microdermabrasion vacuum wand he was planning to use. 

“It’s the thing in Europe,” he explained as she dubiously eyed it. “We’re the only spa in the state offering it. It’ll take 15 years off your face. Forget being carded, you’ll get picked up by a truant officer.”

“I suppose,” she agreed, not having to playact her reluctance. “Tiffy never mentioned this. My friend,” she clarified. “Tiffy Evans? She used to work here doing facials, too.”

“Ah, yes,” he exclaimed, smoothing cooling cotton pads over her face. “I miss Tiffany, she was a doll. She gave traditional facials, though. No machines, nothing special.”

“So there are workers here who don’t give special services?” Rita asked.

“Oh, sure,” he said, massaging a tingly cleanser into her skin. “The girls, mostly. Though if you ask, usually you can work something out. They use my magic trick.” He grinned down at her. “I have another wand we can use after this one.” He waved towards a drawer and started wiping her face with cotton pads again.

“Uh, not today,” Rita said, a little taken aback. She thought there'd be some subtlety, but the directness was actually refreshing. “You’re my first stop, I think I want to get used to the spa before diving into any of that.”

“Sure thing, honey,” he said. “You just make another appointment if you change your mind, okay?” He picked the face wand up again. “Now this won’t hurt, but it’ll be sort of rough. Like a cat’s tongue.”

He started in on her chin, gridding it out. Once he’d moved up to her cheek, she’d finally gotten used to it and brought their conversation back to Tiffy. By the time he’d smoothed a clay mask on her face and started messaging her decolletage (which he said was standard, not special) and hands, she’d learned about Tiffy’s friends at work and gotten some new info on Jason, as well. He’d never met Steffi Evans, though, and wasn’t sure Tiffany had ever brought her in.

She had a short break before her next appointment, her first Hydro-Therapy with Jake, and she wandered around to get her bearings. She hoped to hunt down Chris’s massage room, since he’d gone in a few days before her to get established. Their first appointment wasn’t until the next day, but she wanted to touch base earlier if she could. 

Unfortunately, her time ran out and she had to hurry to meet Jake. The room didn’t look very inviting, with a huge slab of metal taking center stage. It reminded her of a morgue, and she hesitated just inside the door.

“It looks more intimidating than it is,” Jake reassured her. He projected the very All-American air advertised, green eyes warmly matching his smile. 

“It doesn’t look very relaxing,” she said.

“Oh, it is, I promise,” he said. “Here’s the story. You lay down there after I put the towel down. We rub you down with a salt scrub, I wash the salt off with the overhead Vichy shower. Then comes the mud mask, and we wrap you up in the plastic to let it sink in. While it works its magic, you get a face and scalp massage. Then we unwrap you, wash you off again and you get to hang out in a tub until it’s time to put on moisturizer. Doesn’t sound too shabby, does it?”

“No, it does not,” Rita agreed, letting him lead her to the table. 

“May I?” he asked, gesturing towards her robe. She nodded and he untied the belt and slid it off. “All right. I’m going to let you undress now while I step out.” He pulled out a stack of towels and laid the long one down. “Lie on your front here,” he instructed. “You can use these smaller ones to cover anything you want covered, or use neither of them, it’s up to you.”

“This is my first day here,” Rita said, pitching her voice to sound nervous and innocent. “What about--well, you know.”

“I’d be happy to take special care of you,” Jake said, smiling. “We are all about the importance of health through water, but it can feel really good, too. Especially with the right pressure in the right places.”

“Oh, well, I, I’m just not sure,” Rita said, biting her lip. 

“Oh,” he said, looking surprised before schooling his face. “Well, that’s fine. If you change your mind, just let me know. Or take off the towel. But get comfortable now, all right? I’ll be back in a minute.”

Rita looked around as she stripped her clothes off and folded them on a little table. The room was pretty sterile, with the floor grey stone, presumably to deal with the water; the walls were a lighter shade of grey and featured the only touch of decor, a fancy border with big dark spots. She settled herself, towels in place, and waited.

“This place is really nice,” she said as Jake readied the salt scrub. “Have you worked here long?”

“Since we opened,” he said proudly. “Almost two years now. My brother knew the owners, and I was able to get in from the start. I’ve even been buying in every month to become a partner.”

“Wow,” Rita said. “That’s awfully nice. A friend of mine used to work here. Maybe you knew her? Tiffy Evans?”

“I did,” he said, lifting her foot and massaging the scrub in. “She was a nice girl. How is she doing now?”

“She moved,” Rita said, humming happily as he picked up her other foot. It felt better than any other foot massage she’d been given. “I haven’t seen her in a few months. But I remembered she liked working here and wanted to give it a try.”

“Give her my best when you talk next,” he said, working his way up her leg. “I was sorry to hear about her sister.”

“Yes, it was terrible,” Rita said. “Did you know her?”

“I never had the pleasure, but Tiffany spoke of her often.” He leaned into her lower back as he spread the scrub. “How is this feeling?”

“Really good,” Rita said. She could see why he was so popular with the spa-goers. His hands were magical. And as they slid all over her body, toes to hips to fingers, she could see how this could turn to sex in the right situations. He had his hands where and how no non-lovers had gone before. It made her miss Chris, which surprised her. She didn’t normally feel clingy, and she wasn’t sure she liked it. Maybe this was the “honeymoon period” her friends talked about--everything was still so new between them. He was always on her mind.

She couldn’t get much out of him about Jason, other than it being a sad story, and had to stop pressing it. She let herself enjoy the Vichy showers raining down on her, though she didn’t relax into the mud cocoon until she’d managed to free one of her hands. Then she could sink back and let him run stones over her face and scalp, tugging lightly at her hair while he was at it. 

After an hour, he helped her into her robe and escorted her to the bath. “It’s milk based,” he explained. “Like Cleopatra. I’ll knock to get you in half an hour.”

As the door closed, Rita let her robe drop to the floor and stepped into the wide tub. The room was dim, soft music piped in, and the tub perfectly contoured for relaxing. She sunk down and looked around. A sudden bit of light caught at the corner of her eye and she turned to look. There were small colored lights slowly twinkling at the ceiling, blinking red and blue and green.She slid deep into the water and let her thoughts swirl around the case and what she’d learned so far. 

The time slipped by fast, and it felt only a few minutes later when Jake knocked for her. Her appointment was done ten minutes later, and she felt boneless. Her next appointment wasn’t until after dinner, so she headed to the whirlpool to meet some new staff members and soak some more.

She was more than a little frustrated by the next afternoon. Most staff members remembered Tiffy well, but none had met Steffi. The manicurist remembered Lisi Marlow’s best friend Luisa, who had visited weekly for almost a year before missing an appointment and never returning. She thought Luisa had used other services, but no one else remembered her. Everyone had liked Jason, and stayed with the company line of an accidental death. 

As she headed towards her massage, she hoped Chris had had more luck. 

Unfortunately, he hadn’t. 

“Miss Barnes,” he greeted her at the door, but once it was shut, he wrapped his arms around her. She squeezed back. “Hey, Sammy.”

“Hey,” she said, giving him a kiss. “Nice uniform,” she said, stepping back. Like the other male staff members, Chris was in low slung sweats and nothing else.

“Welcome to my humble lair,” he said, gesturing widely. “Ready to have your mind blown?”

“Shouldn’t we debrief?” she asked.

“We can multi-task,” he said, pulling her over to the table. “I don’t have much, at any rate. And honestly, if I get through one more massage without a requested happy ending, I think I’ll get fired.”

“Can’t you lie?” she asked, handing him her robe.

“I’m supposed to hit a button when they ask or suggest they want one, to keep track,” he said. “And they’ve been asking the ladies since I haven’t hit it yet.” He accepted her top and shorts as she hopped onto his table. “Face down,” he instructed and she slid under the blanket. “So what have you learned?”

“That there’s a whole spa service about not being touched,” Rita said, turning her head and grinning at him. “I just got back from Reiki,” she explained, as he frowned at her. “Hands waving around to dispel negative energy. It does end with a few minutes of light pressure, and he offered to do my root chakra, but I didn’t want to debase the energy boost he’d given me. Of course.”

“Of course,” Chris echoed. “No one has a problem with turning down the special services?”

“None at all,” she said, shivering as he brushed the hair away from the nape of her neck and ran his hands down her body before folding the blanket over her hips. “No one’s batted an eye so far. Unlike with you. The facial guy said not everyone provides -- mm, that’s not bad,” she said, as he pressed his thumbs along her neck to open things up. “Not everyone does, apparently. Did you get a choice?”

“I’m pretty sure I was hired for my looks and willingness to cooperate,” he said, slowly pushing his hands down her back, smoothing in lotion as he made the repeated lines.

“Well, that’s not-- oh, my God!”

“Relax, Sammy,” he said, laughing, as he worked out the knot he found under her shoulder blade.

“You have been holding out on me,” she accused as he pressed deep, loosening the knot. “What the hell has this ‘squeeze squeeze all done’ bit been? You know how to do this?”

“Maybe not just for my looks, eh? My resume may be faked, but the skills are real.” He lightly brushed the skin as the knot dissipated. “I learned in PT last year,” he admitted. “I kept going back as part of my arm rehab, and decided it’d be easiest to figure out how to do it to myself. Not bad, eh?”

She groaned as he moved back towards her neck and stretched the muscles between it and her shoulder, stroking them in opposite directions. “I can’t believe you never let on you could do this. You realize I’m never letting you stop, right?”

“I’ll teach you some tricks,” he said. “We’ll take turns never stopping.”

“Deal.” She hummed lightly as he moved around her back, finding pressure points and rocking her as he worked her sides, up one side and down the other. “I know we’re supposed to debrief, but I can’t concentrate.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” he said, loose fists providing pressure on her lower back, by the swell of her hips. “And less about how little we’ve learned. Everyone liked Jason and Tiffany. No one remembers Steffi or Luisa.”

“Basically,” she agreed, letting out a huff as he found another knot and released it. 

“Then we’ll let this hour be about me keeping my job,” he said, skimming his hands lower over her backside, squeezing gently and moving down to her thighs.

“Mmm, good idea,” she said. “Need you sticking around here.” She let herself float in relaxation in a way she never could have with any other person here. Chris was thorough, hitting all her sore points, teasing at others, and it got even better when she turned over onto her back. She liked the foot massage, she liked the face and scalp massage, but what she loved best was the hand massage. She’d never considered how tense her hands could get, but more than that, she liked holding Chris’s hand as he used his fingers to stretch hers. She smiled up at him and he grinned back, bending over for a brief kiss. 

He was just working his way back up her thighs when there was a small ding from the corner and he froze. 

“Aw, hell,” he said, slumping over as Rita raised her eyebrow. 

“What’s that ding?” she asked, but she had a bad feeling she knew.

“Time’s up,” Chris said. “And I didn’t hit the button.” He shook his head sadly. “Swing and a whiff. Sorry, Sammy.”

She thumped her head against the massage table, frustrated. “Chris,” she groaned. 

“I know,” he said, helping her sit up, slowly. “I’ll make it up to you, I swear.”

“In room appointment tonight?” she asked, looping her arms around his waist. “For a real debrief and talk,” she clarified. “We owe a call in tomorrow morning, and should actually talk about the case. Then, maybe, we’ll talk about a mulligan.”

“7pm,” he said, touching his forehead to hers. 

“See you then,” she said, kissing him before hopping down and dressing. 

He opened the door for her just as Jake was passing. Rita ran her hand down Chris’s arm. “I’m in room 235,” she said, smiling sweetly up at him. “I appreciate your making an extra appointment.”

“Always happy to take special care of our best guests,” Chris said, hand warm on her back. “I’ll see you tonight.”

Rita headed off to the big pool and waterfall to cool herself down a little. Her next appointment wasn’t for another two hours, so she got herself comfortable and let herself float. The ceilings were tiled and she let the patterns swim above her as her thoughts swirled around the case and what she’d seen at the spa. 

She let it all wash over her as her gaze settled on the same twinkling lights she’d seen in her private milk bath. The dim red flashing flight caught her attention, and she squinted at it, letting it blur and then sharpen. 

Red flashing lights on a wallpaper border with black circles. Why would a tiled bathing room need a border? She wasn’t sure how long she’d been in the pool, but hopefully she could grab Chris before his next session. His room had the same border. 

She stopped back at her room to change. She hesitated, but grabbed her holster and gun, too. If she and Chris went digging, who knows what they’d find.

Rita caught him just as he was closing up his room. “I think I found something,” she said softly, stepping close. “Can we go back in there?”

“Of course, Miss Barnes,” Chris said, mindful of the ladies walking down the hall and chatting. “I’d be happy to show you.”

He followed her inside, and she pointed to the border once the door was closed. “I think someone’s taping the sessions,” she said. “I saw red flashing lights during my bath, and then again in the pool. They’re clustered with other lights, around the black circles of the border.”

“They’re cameras?” Chris rolled his seat over and used Rita to balance himself as he stood on it for a closer look. “You’re right,” he said, poking at it. “Recessed, stabilized with mesh.”

“The red light is dimmer than the others,” Rita said. “They must be trying to disguise it, hidden behind the mesh and adding the other lights. I thought it was just another decorative thing, at first. The bathing room was dim, and the twinkling was pretty.” She tilted her head. “Where’s the switch you hit to tally special services?”

“The button? On the wall behind where your head goes,” he said.

She found it and pressed. The twinkling lights started blinking around several of the black circles in the border--including the one in front of Chris’s face. She pressed again and they went off.

“Bingo,” Chris said, carefully stepping down. “I heard it turn on, and that red light is definitely different from the others. So someone’s filming the sex, selling it?”

“Any nudity, I guess,” Rita said. “Any idea where the cameras are?”

“I can’t picture,” he said, shaking his head. “There’s staff corridors, linking all the rooms and our quarters, through there,” he said, indicating a door hidden behind a screen. “Shall we?”

A few of the locations were easy to spot, hidden high in storage closets, but not all of them. Rita had to leave for her next appointment, a pedicure. At least it would be easy to leave that one if Chris discovered anything new.

The pedicurist, Jazmine, had put a mask over her eyes before tipping the chair back, farther than Rita expected. She pushed the mask up a little to peek from under it, but was tilted far enough that Jazmine couldn’t see her face, anyway. There was a light on by her feet for Jazmine to work, but Rita couldn’t see any red or twinkling lights in the ceiling at all. 

The service finished early when Rita refused any polish, not wanting anything to slow her down. She headed back to her room, keeping an eye out for any other lights. Nothing stood out. Nothing in her room, either. She had time before Chris came, so she wrote up her notes from the day to prepare for tomorrow’s call with the Cap. 

A knock on the door startled her. It was too early for Chris, and she peered through the peephole. 

“Hi, Peter,” she said, pulling the door open. “Can I help you?”

“I sure hope so,” he said, walking in. “Come sit with me a moment, please?”

She did, leaving the door just barely ajar.

“I just had a chat with your friend the massage therapist,” he said. “Jake said you got really friendly really fast, and I know you two have been looking into things you shouldn’t be.” He shrugged. “Somewhat literally, with that closeup that Christopher gave. I saw you looking into some cameras, too. And Rita, honey, that’s not okay.”

“Yeah, filming women without their consent is definitely not okay,” Rita said. “Where is Christopher?”

“He’s fine, don’t you worry,” Peter said. “You seem like a nice girl, you don’t want anyone to get hurt, right? And I don’t want to hurt anyone. I really don’t,” he said, off her look. “It’s bad news for the spa and I wouldn’t do anything to shut this place down. I love it here. So I’ll offer you the same terms that I offered Tiffany. Don’t say anything to anyone about what you found, and Christopher stays safe. I won’t touch a hair on his head as long as you stay quiet.”

“And if I don’t stay quiet?” Rita asked.

“Well, you’re Tiffany’s friend. You know what happened to little Steffi, right?” Peter asked. “Dreadful thing. But she never stepped foot in here, so the spa is in the clear.”

“Is this what you offered Luisa Simmons?” Rita asked. “And Jason Hobbs?”

Peter cocked his head. “You have been thorough, haven’t you? Did Tiffany tell you about her? You figured it out so much faster than anyone else. But no, Jason’s death was a lamentable accident. I told you, I’d never do anything to make the spa look bad. I never had a chance to tell Jason to keep his mouth shut, he fell off the ladder before I could talk with him.”

Over Peter’s shoulder, she saw the door start to slowly swing open and Chris edged his way in, gun out.

“What did you tell Christopher?” she asked.

“The same thing I told you. If he stayed quiet, I won’t hurt you.” He pulled out a gun. “I don’t want to. I’d do anything to protect the spa. But if I have to make either of you disappear, I will. I can do it, you know. It’s not like Christopher’s been doing a good job here, no one will be surprised if he leaves and never comes back. So. Do we understand each other? Keep quiet and no one dies. That’s a promise.”

“Put the gun down, Peter,” Chris said, his own aimed true.

Peter spun around, gun up. “Aw, damn it, Christopher,” he said, frustrated. “What are you doing? I told you I wouldn’t hurt her unless I had to.”

“Police,” Chris said. “Gun down and hands behind your head.”

Peter looked between the two of them and swore.

“Put it down and we can take this outside of the spa,” Rita said. “That’s what you want, right? Keep the spa going.”

“Something tells me it’s too late for that.” He aimed his gun at Chris and Rita tackled him as his finger curled on the trigger. 

The gun went off as they landed hard on the floor. He kept his grip and tried to aim it towards Rita, but she grabbed his wrist and disarmed him. The gun skittered away as she struggled to keep him subdued. 

Chris knelt down and snapped on the cuffs. “Nice move there, partner,” he said, helping her up. 

“I was feeling real limber,” she said, stretching her arms out. “All this relaxation must have done me good.”

\----  
Chris grabbed another piece of pizza from the coffee table and snuggled back against Rita. “This is why partners aren’t supposed to get too close, isn’t it? I never would have liked to hear someone threatening to kill you if I stepped out of line, but I saw red this time, Sammy, I swear.”

“Share?” Rita asked. He lifted his arm and she leaned forward to take a bite. “I’m not sure it had anything on how I felt seeing a gun aimed at you,” she admitted, rubbing slow circles on his chest. 

“So we’re agreed, no more mortal danger, right?” Chris asked, taking her hand and squeezing it.

“Gonna be awfully hard to make that our goal,” she said, giving the side of his head a greasy kiss. 

“I guess,” he said. “If you have to be a realist and all.” 

“Oh, can’t have that now, can we?” she asked, letting him pop the last bite into her mouth. 

“Nope. So, no to more mortal danger, but yes to more massages.” He started kneading her hands, intertwining their fingers just how she’d liked it at the spa.

“See, now that I can always get behind,” she said, humming happily. “And it reminds me, too. I offered you a mulligan earlier today. Ready to make good?”

“Sammy, you got no idea. I’m gonna blow your mind.” He stood up and swept her off the couch.

She laughed, winding her arms around his neck as he headed for the stairs. “You always do, partner.”

**Author's Note:**

> I had a hard time finding a good place to set this in canon, and ended up with their relationship established. But because that is a terribly sad time in canon, I further offer my longstanding headcanon that Chris anticipated the exchange going wrong and made plans. The doctors managed to resuscitate him after the scary coding, and his death was faked to ensure no retaliation/follow up from Montoya's men. It took a week or so for him to get in touch with Rita, who then left town to meet him at a pre-arranged destination - that's why she was smiling after saying goodbye to Cap at the grave site. Once it was safe, they told Cap and Frannie, who are the only two who know that they are living happily ever after. :)


End file.
